Greatful im not tied to vaping hours on end anymore. No shame or guilt or hiding the cost.
I choose freedom.
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Hiya im on day 2 no cigarettes and im finding it quite tough! Like im having conversations in my head whether im ready ect because there a part of me that dosent want to quit. I enjoy it and iv missed having that feeling of de stressing or having 5 minutes to myself.
Iv gave up because i have terrible health anxiety. Im constantly checking my mouth and body for new lumps and bumps and obsessing that i have something serious underlying. I just have a huge fear of dying young so thought if i gave up something harmful it might ease my obsessiveness over my death cause its really getting me down.
Any advice at all how to hush these cravings because i dont wanna kid myself into carrying on smoking for the minute cause its what i ‘need’ /want cause it clearly isn’t…
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Congrats on reaching day 2 and even more congrats on deciding to quit Megan.
The reason you feel yourself destressing when you smoke is because your addicted to nicotine. And that’s the only reason. By smoking you relief the withdrawal effects from nicotine you’re experiencing. Truth. The five minutes to yourself you can take without smoking too.
Anyway, be absolutely sure that you are doing something great for yourself. Quitting smoking is a great sign of love for you. Keep going! Cravings don’t last.
For you here’s a repost from the place that helped me quit smoking nearly 8 years ago, the now defunct Quitnet.
Dear New Quitter
FROM: Cara (Teach404) on Quit Day 3909
Dear New Quitter or someone who is thinking of quitting:
Are you thinking of quitting?
Are you scared?
Do you think you cannot quit?
I am writing you this letter to tell you that I was once where you are now.
I was thinking of quitting – not cause I wanted to but more because my doctor said I could quit before or after the heart attack – thankfully I quit before. I did not want to quit – I felt I had to quit - that I was being forced to quit and I was very unhappy.
I am not sure if scared describes the emotion I felt building up to my quit. Let’s be honest here – this quit was not my first attempt. I quit for 12+ years. I was out with smoking friends who I had been around for years when I decided I wanted a smoke – figured after all those years I could have just one. What a shock – I am an addict and within a few weeks I was back smoking a pack a day again.
Do you think you cannot quit? I seriously believed that myself. I got my 12 year quit following a visit to a hypnotist – I believed it would work and walked out from that office with no interest in smoking but a huge desire to eat and gained 50 pounds. I do not blame that on the quit I blame that on me making poor choices of food and choosing not to get any exercise. Quitting smoking was not the cause of the weight gain.
I started trying to quit smoking after about 9 years after tossing that 12 year quit. That was in 2004 – October. I went cold turkey and lasted 60 something days. I tossed that quit over some excuse that I cannot remember but I will say was nothing serious. I became quite upset with people in the quit smoking forums who were not buying my justification of my failed quit but I got over it and for the next year and a half I made half hearted attempts at quitting – I can say that because I made excuses and justified over and over my decisions to smoke. I had pneumonia and I smoked. I tried patches and gum, cold turkey and even a shot with a different hypnotist but alas nothing worked. It did not work because I refused to take smoking off the table as an option in my life and rather then working through the quitting process, I just chose to go to the store or mooch smokes off of others.
Two things happened in my life that helped me choose to start a quit and keep it. The first was the previously mentioned doctor’s statement. It did impact me but not enough to have me quit then as it took an additional 4 months give or take for me to quit. It was the well-intentioned comment from someone in one of my clubs in quintet.com back in March of 2006 ( Rosie in the October 2004 Buttkicker club). I announced yet again that I was going to start another quit and this angel of the internet said to me that she so admired my repeated attempts to quit but it was such a shame that I kept putting myself through those early days over and over and over again. March 15, 2006 – this quit was born and here I am today approaching 4000 days, 10+ years quit.
Was it easy – hell no those early days were hell. I journaled my feelings, emotions, illness and I took Zyban to help me quit. I cried and cried and cried bitter tears for my 25 best friends who were so cruelly taken from me. I hated happy people, happy smokers, happy non-smokers, happy quitters – hated them all.
But here is the thing. I never understood this before with my prior 12+ year quit and even hanging around the quit smoking sites. I never saw myself as an addict. I thought that I loved to smoke – it made me happy. I remember writing this in my journal and I want to share it with you now.
“I feel that I have lost a friend - a very close one at that. My smokes are - not are, were - like my dogs - always here for me - and in some ways better as they did not bark. Now I have my dogs who I love, but I no longer have my smokes and sad as it is it feels like something is totally missing out of my life.”
I truly believed this load of crap. That was not me speaking it was the addiction talking. I did not love smoking – I loved the relief that smoking gave me. I could not see this while in active addiction – I had to quit and when the smoke screen cleared I saw smoking for the vile enslaver that it was. Smoking did nothing for me but kill me. I gave it credit for everything I did for myself.
What does this mean to you my smoking friend or newly quit friend? Please hear the wisdom I have learned from my quit smoking journey and hopefully you can make your life easier by not falling in to the potholes I did.
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There is never an excuse to smoke period.
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Quitting smoking is not an overnight thing. We all ask in those early days when will it get better as we seem to think that 10, 20, 30 or more years of addiction will be gone in a week. It takes time folks but it is worth it.
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Quitting is not a linear process. It does not get better each and every day. I remember many times saying my quit was like a roller coaster ride and I wanted to get off. I stuck it out and finally the good days were much more frequent then the bad.
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We are forever addicts. I tossed a 12 year quit and I could toss another one should I buy into the lie that I can have just one. I do not think about smoking the way I did in the early days of my quit but it does enter my head now and then and I dismiss it easily.
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Quitting smoking is not an easy process cause if it was the world would have no smokers. I worked really hard to get to where I am today and I had mentors and support to help me get here. That is why I try to give back to others as I want them to be where I am today.
I have taken back my power from addiction. I control my life again and I refuse to ever again allow a white tube filled with poison to enslave me. I call the shots in my life. I am not running out to serve my addiction. I am free but vigilant as I never want to go back and start over again. I use a line in my daily pledge that I walk the Freedom Road. That is where I am. Living my life, doing my thing and doing it my way. Life is not perfect but it a whole lot better smoke free. Come and join me on the Freedom Road. I know it is kind of rocky to start but if you take my hand, I will support you till you are ready to walk it on your own beside me.
Quitting is not always easy but doable. Not a person in the world who cannot quit and we do not even have to want to quit to be successful – look at me.
You can do this. Let us show you how.
KTQ
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Thankyou so much for this… Really helped reading through it, relating to it and resetting my mood and brain! Your support and encourage helped millions. You forget sometimes that other people feel exactly the same when your stuck in that pity party mind frame. Thankyou for taking the time 
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hey everybody! i decided tomorrows my last day with nicotine. i smoked cigarettes for about 10 years then i started vaping a year and a half ago. right now i’m finishing up day 3 sober from alcohol, and because the two substances are linked so deeply for me i really believe that they both have to leave my reality together. i’m very excited and ready.
early Thursday morning i’m flying to Texas for a girls trip, to a beach where thousands of hummingbirds flock during their annual migration. i see this as being my transition moment, a beautiful ritual to begin the release process, where for 4 days i will be surrounded with the love and support of my sisterhood. that means tomorrow (Wednesday) is my final day. i’m going to be intentional about it, ponder my fleeting attachment while i use for the final time. and then throw it away before bed, never to use again. this is my intention, need and true desire. i appreciate our community here so much for being a safe place i can express this stuff to where people understand. thank you and so much love to you!
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Wow!! What an amazing trip that you have planned!! Cant wait to hear about it!! And congratulations on your 3 days sober !! And I totally understand, if your mind did that association, than I think you are right, both should go 
Thanks for sharing!! Its really inspiring 
today is my first day without smoking cigarettes, and reading you just helped a lot!! Thank you 
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Seeing some new folks ready to quit smoking here makes me glad! For you I’m going to repost this most helpful of Quitnet reposts (IMHO) that I reposted here a number of times before. Never gets old. All success @Sara.eve and @JuliaLuna!
The Quit Kit
Repost by Grammax6
Welcome Newbies! Ready to quit? Then you need a Quit Kit!
It isn’t a matter of just slapping on a patch or chewing some nic gum. Every behavior you can think of is tied to your smoking. We smoked because we were happy, sad, mad, hurt, tired, sick, bored…etc. You need to replace those habits. Take a day to make a plan.
We call it a Quit Kit. It can be anything you want. Get creative and really think about it. Some things folks have used is nicotine gum. You can buy regular gum the same size, color and flavor so you can go back and forth between the two. If you are using the patch, make sure you have an extra patch in the office, in your purse, or in your wallet, for those days when you have forgotten to put one on in the morning. It happens more than you think! Have lozenges available for those high stress / high craving times.
Have some Red Vines to ‘smoke’. Or cut up a straw into thirds…especially during high trigger times like driving. Sometimes it feels good to just hold it if you are accustomed to always having a smoke in your hand. Grab your favorite CDs or tapes to put in your car so you can put one in and sing out loud. My favorite was dancing and singing at the same time. Your brain cannot do a third thing, so thinking about smoking just disappears.
To keep your mind and hands busy, go to Michael’s or some other craft store and look for things to do. Buy something that interests you; rug hooking kits, scrap booking stuff, or Christmas stocking kits for the grand kids. Or, get some coloring books and colored pencils or felt tip pens. Stained glass, floral, tropical fish or Native American motif coloring books are available everywhere now. They make you want to do a good job. Dora the Explorer would make me want to scribble on her face. LOL!
Make a list of everything that needs to be done, or you want to do around the house. Go through each room and write down everything from cleaning out drawers and closets to painting, rearranging or redecorating. Same with the garage and yard work. Once you have your list, break it down into 5-15 minutes segments so nothing becomes overwhelming.
Make baggies of crunchy foods to satisfy your mouth so they are at work and handy to grab. Carrots, celery, chex mix, pretzel sticks (you can hold those like a cig), gum, etc. They need to be ready to just grab at any given time.
This is important!!! The Three Post Rule: When you are craving and really shaky, post and click the “I’m craving and need some help” box. Wait for at least 3 response posts before you make a decision to purchase cigarettes or to smoke. Most times, you will be fine once you read the posts (keeps you from dwelling). If not…post again and wait for 3 more.
Once you have all these things figured out you will be well prepared to handle anything and you don’t even have to think…just look at your list… Keep 1 copy at work, 1 at home, 1 in your purse or wallet, 1 in the car.
If you did one day, you can do 2. If you did 3, you can do one more. No future tripping. You can’t do a darn thing about tomorrow until it gets here. Today is a good time to quit but if you feel you can’t, then take tomorrow to put together your Quit Kit and quit the day after. Don’t set a quit date out there for 2 weeks, 1 month, etc. All you do is make yourself crazy in your head by stressing over that date. You know you can do this.
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morning all. Im 6 days now without rollups and im ok so far. Lets see how i feel in a week. I was alittle grumpy/sulky about it on sunday but apart from that ive been ok. Worst cravings have been about a 5/10.
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I stopped smoking…and I feel cravings often. Im craving weed and speed a lot more than before. I am careful and nice to myself. But this is hard, feels nice to write it down!
Day 4 
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I quit smoking almost 5 years ago, but that’s not what this post is about.
See, maybe 15 to 20 years ago, my Dad said that he had cravings even after years of quitting. Hearing that really discouraged me, like why try if every day will be a struggle?
Well, after almost 5 years, I can say that my Pops was right, even after all this time, cravings still happen, but it’s not struggle bus type of cravings like the first few months, it’s more like “it sounds nice” the way a chocolate eclair sounds nice, the way a boat ride at sunet sounds nice, the way putting on a warm pair of grey sweat pants right from the dryer sounds nice. It’s like it sounds nice, but if you don’t put on those sweat pants, you ain’t gonna cry or anything.
Basically, don’t let anything worry you about the future pf being nicotine free, just keep quitting!
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Thank you @HoofHearted for sharing your wisdom. Sometimes i wonder if these cravings will always be this strong. Its tough early on!
Day 45.96 today a total quitter
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I quit nearly 8 years ago. I don’t crave no more. I feel it’s disgusting. I’ve become what I always detested: a pretty fierce anti who smoked for 35 years himself.
Of course I understand the addiction. But it really is a lying killing sick making dirty habit. Name me one good thing about it. There is none. Quitting smoking is the best thing I did in my life. Changed my life. No exaggeration.
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I guess just like with any addiction there are varying recoveries and remaining cravings.
I hope in a year i feel the same about vaping as i do about alcohol:
- My life is 100x better without it
- A healthy fear/respect… if i pick up once, ill prove im still an addict
- Baby cravings at most
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Im feeling really good its not easy but i am really happy to be free from everything…i am just really proud of myself and truly love myself
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Right there with ya! Keep fighting 
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Fuck being sick and wanting the “comfort” of my vape 
I realize how crazy that sounds. Im trying to stay strong bc i will have 50 days tonight.
Fuck addiction
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3 years tomorrow and I still fantasise now and again about that five minutes time out with a cigarette. Madness.
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Ah man …that is crazy… grateful that you are standing strong as a non smoker 
Great work on 3 years!!!
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